Britain to hold public inquiry into death of ex-KGB agent Alexander Litvinenko

The British government has announced a public inquiry to investigate who was behind the death of Alexander Litvinenko, the former Russian spy poisoned with radioactive tea in London in 2006.

Last year, the British government rejected a request for an inquiry into the killing of Litvinenko, who died after drinking tea poisoned with a rare radioactive isotope in a plush London hotel, leading to accusations it wanted to appease the Kremlin which has always denied any involvement in the death.

New investigation: Alexander Litvinenko in hopsital after being poisoned in November 2006. Photo: Reuters

However, the reversal of that decision comes as British Prime Minister David Cameron leads calls for hard-hitting sanctions against Russia, including freezing the assets of Putin's close allies, after the downing of Malaysian airliner MH17 in Ukraine last week.

The inquiry will be able to look at whether the Russian state was behind the mysterious killing of Kremlin critic Litvinenko, which outraged London at the time and plunged relations with Moscow into the deep freeze.

Home Secretary Theresa May, the interior minister, announced the probe would specifically seek to "identify where responsibility for the death lies".

"I very much hope that this inquiry will be of some comfort to his widow," she added, in a statement given to parliament.

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His widow Marina said on Tuesday she was "relieved and delighted" with the decision to launch a public inquiry.

Litvinenko, 43, a former agent in Russia's FSB intelligence agency who turned against his former masters, was poisoned with radioactive polonium-210 while drinking tea at a London hotel.

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In a deathbed letter, Litvinenko said he believed Russian President Vladimir Putin was involved in his killing after he publicly criticised the leader, himself an ex-KGB agent.

British police have identified Russian spy-turned-lawmaker Andrei Lugovoi as the chief suspect and have issued an arrest warrant for fellow former agent Dmitri Kovtun in relation to the death, but Moscow has refused to hand them over. They both deny involvement.

May originally wanted to wait for the results of a separate inquest into the death, which was begun by senior judge Robert Owen.

In English law, inquests are held to examine sudden, violent or unnatural deaths.

While they determine the place and time of death as well as how the deceased came by their death, they do not apportion blame.

But three High Court judges ruled in February that May must reconsider her decision, following a challenge by Marina Litvinenko.

"It sends a message to Sasha's murderers: no matter how strong and powerful you are, truth will win out in the end and you will be held accountable for your crimes," Marina Litvinenko said.

"It has taken nearly eight years to bring those culpable for Sasha's murder to justice. I look forward to the day when the truth behind my husband's murder is revealed for the whole world to see."

Inquest judge Owen himself had called for a public inquiry, saying his work had been undermined and he could not hold a "fair and fearless" inquest, because he was not allowed to see secret evidence about the Kremlin's alleged possible role in the killing.

Owen will now chair the public inquiry, May announced.

The terms of reference for the probe are "to conduct an investigation into the death of Alexander Litvinenko in order to ascertain who the deceased was; how, when and where he came by his death; identify where responsibility for the death lies and make appropriate recommendations".